BREAKING: Obama commutes sentence of trans whistleblower Chelsea Manning

[stephaniec]

BREAKING: Obama commutes sentence of trans whistleblower Chelsea Manning


http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2017/01/17/breaking-obama-commutes-sentence-of-trans-whistleblower-chelsea-manning/

Pink News/By Joseph Patrick McCormick 17th January 2017, 9:34 PM

"President Obama has commuted the sentence of transgender whistleblower Chelsea Manning in one of his final acts as President.
Private Manning, who announced her transition to female in 2013, was imprisoned in Fort Leavenworth military prison after leaking details of classified government documents concerning alleged war crimes and rights abuses via WikiLeaks. "

[JessicaSondelli]

Thank you Mr President!!!

Omg! I can't believe it!!!


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[Maybebaby56]

I'm not sure how I feel about this.  On one hand, I think a 35-year sentence was too much. On the other hand, that was an extremely serious security breach.  I'm sure there a lot of other people on this board that work for the DoD, and have a security clearance.  It would be interesting to hear other people's opinions. I'd rather not say anything.

~Terri

[stephaniec]

All I'll say is That the President thought it proper

[Tessa James]

Hooray and thank you Mr President!  I will so miss this man as our President.  While I will keep working for equality and equity President Obama has been the best friend to the LGBTQIA people of this country we have ever known. 

[Deborah]

I'm not sure how I feel about this.  On one hand, I think a 35-year sentence was too much. On the other hand, that was an extremely serious security breach.  I'm sure there a lot of other people on this board that work for the DoD, and have a security clearance.  It would be interesting to hear other people's opinions. I'd rather not say anything.

~Terri

I agree with you and disagree with the President.


It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not.
André Gide, Autumn Leaves

[RobynD]

This is so awesome! 

Of course i am extremely left on these things, but i never believed the military and the industries that support it are worthy of even close to the amount of funding and above the law treatment it receives. Domestic intelligence and the military are necessities, but they should be very subservient to a federal government that is well checked ( i know utopia right?) I'd like to see our $600B budget reduced to about $80B and almost all presence ended outside our borders. I'd like to see the three branches combined into one defense force (like japan does it) with one administrative structure but three command structures.

From what i understand of Manning, her breach of security was real but likely a good thing for the country. Sometimes people die from such breaches but i am not aware if that has been the case here. Most of it has been of the embarrassment variety. I'm open to other information on that point.

[Nina_Ottawa]

I'm not sure how I feel about this.  On one hand, I think a 35-year sentence was too much. On the other hand, that was an extremely serious security breach.  I'm sure there a lot of other people on this board that work for the DoD, and have a security clearance.  It would be interesting to hear other people's opinions. I'd rather not say anything.

~Terri

I feel the exact way you do.

[Dani]

It was announced today that President Obama commuted Chelsea Mannings prison sentance from 35 years to 6 years. She should be released sometime in May 2017.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/17/us/politics/obama-commutes-bulk-of-chelsea-mannings-sentence.html?_r=0

[judithlynn]

A couple of things to remember here. When Chelsea  broke the US Law and her military code of conduct , she was not out as being Transgender. Some people  have believed that  her "coming out " as being Transgender was her way of  bringing attention to her cause. So it will I think be very interesting if once when she is released she goes forward with her GCS.

In my opinion her 35 year sentence was a little too harsh, but remember most people caught spying on behalf of a foreign power get Life imprisonment and in certain countries even Australia, many of such cases are held "in camera" so as to not disclose security matters to the outside world. As someone that has served in the military and one that has had a DoD  security clearance, I find it a complete anathema that she decided upon her own volition to break that security. By doing so I believe she weakened  not just the US, but also  the five "Is" and did enormous damage to world security

I am thus rather sad that after being so supportive over the last 8 years to the Men and women serving their country that this outgoing President would commute Chelsea's sentence completely. As no matter which way you view this, Chelsea's action was completely unlawful.
Judith

[Devlyn]

All I ever wanted for Chelsea was the right to be herself while she served her sentence.

[Tessa James]

A couple of things to remember here. When Chelsea  broke the US Law and her military code of conduct , she was not out as being Transgender. Some people  have believed that  her "coming out " as being Transgender was her way of  bringing attention to her cause. So it will I think be very interesting if once when she is released she goes forward with her GCS.

In my opinion her 35 year sentence was a little too harsh, but remember most people caught spying on behalf of a foreign power get Life imprisonment and in certain countries even Australia, many of such cases are held "in camera" so as to not disclose security matters to the outside world. As someone that has served in the military and one that has had a DoD  security clearance, I find it a complete anathema that she decided upon her own volition to break that security. By doing so I believe she weakened  not just the US, but also  the five "Is" and did enormous damage to world security

I am thus rather sad that after being so supportive over the last 8 years to the Men and women serving their country that this outgoing President would commute Chelsea's sentence completely. As no matter which way you view this, Chelsea's action was completely unlawful.
Judith

Why would having GCS indicate anything about her validity as transgender person or as a lawbreaker?  I saw horrible and brutal miscarriages of so called military conduct codes while serving in Vietnam.  One illegal act may not justify another but there are more than a few injustices we will never know about without these unlawful whistle blowers.

[eggbun]

I was really happy to hear about this. I hope she can live peacefully from now on. Go Chelsea!!

[Angela Drakken]

Why would having GCS indicate anything about her validity as transgender person or as a lawbreaker?  I saw horrible and brutal miscarriages of so called military conduct codes while serving in Vietnam.  One illegal act may not justify another but there are more than a few injustices we will never know about without these unlawful whistle blowers.

I also thought it particularly 'humorous' (outrage was more what I felt)  that everytime wikileaks said they had some dirt on the Clinton crime family, Ms Manning had allegedly 'attempted suicide' withing the same week. (I think 3 times this happened?) I worry if they let her out someone might finally succeed in 'suiciding' her?

[Eevee]

About time. While I agree that imprisonment may have been well-deserved in this case, the treatment Chelsea received while in prison was borderline torture. I think she's been punished enough now.

[Veda]

I would like to hear more of Chelsea's story.  Prison is not the best place to get your story out.  Criminal or not, it would be a good thing to be able to understand what happened from her perspective.  Now that may happen.  As long as she doesn't try to star in her own reality TV series I'm OK with her release.

[Dani]

The most interesting item of this legal case is that Chelsea got a very heavy sentence for her crime. Please note that she is only a Private First Class. A really entry level rating. She made a mistake and the Army brass gave her a 35 year sentence. In 1968 Lt Calley killed over 100 Vietnamese civilians who were unarmed noncombatants. He got 3 years under house arrest. Many legal people have decried her sentence as being way too harsh. Finally, Chelsea has some degree of justice.

Note: I served about 30 years in the Army, regular,reserve and individual reserve.

[silliemunkie]

This is great news, as this case was blown out of proportion, and the punishment did not fit the crime. It was more a case of she is transgender vs. the release of classified information. People are hung up on the idea that she should be in prison for the rest of her life. I've been arguing that this serves no purpose, other than some peoples thirst for punishment. She has served her time, and should be able to move on with life.

[itsApril]

The longest sentence ever imposed on any defendant in a previous similar prosecution under this statute was 3-1/2 years in prison.  Chelsea Manning was hit TEN TIMES as hard as any other defendant.

She's been serving her time with her hair in a military buzz-cut in a men-only military prison.  She was denied any appropriate gender-related medical treatment for several years until the government partially relented for limited HRT.  It's no wonder that she attempted suicide in prison.  (For which she was subjected to disciplinary solitary confinement, by the way!  Now that's a great way to deal with a potentially suicidal inmate, isn't it?)

Basically, the government treated Chelsea Manning as roadkill in its campaign to cover up errors and abuses related to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.  An Army PFC got a sentence of 35 years because the government had to get revenge and all of the other prosecution targets got away with it.

I'm so glad to see the prison doors swing open for Chelsea Manning.  I wish her a soft landing on the outside and hope that now her real life is just beginning.

[BeverlyAnn]

Among some of the things Chelsea was faced with in prison, she was charged "medicine misuse" because a tube of toothpaste had expired three months earlier.  Solitary confinement for toothpaste?  She was also charged with "disrespect of a prison official" because she asked for her lawyer when charged with something by that prison official. Books that were legally obtained were then removed from her cell as contraband.  At one point, her lawyers were denied permission to see her. There is no doubt she was singled out for harsh treatment and I worry about how she will be treated between now and May 17 when she is released.  It would have been nice if it had been commutation to time served and I hope she can hold it together until May.

Now, as a veteran, I don't condone what she did.  Yes, some of the information about abuses needed to come out but some of the information didn't.  But also rank has it's privileges.  President Obama Tuesday also issued a full pardon to a General Officer, the former Vice Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who leaked Top Secret info to two reporters.  He was only charged with lying under oath.  He was given a one year suspended sentence but he got a full pardon even though the one year had long since passed.  Chelsea only got a commutation of sentence so she is still a convicted felon.  What the President did was not forgive her but save her life.